Hm, I wouldn't call myself an athlete. I can play a couple of musical instruments reasonably well, but I would never call myself a musician. To me the word suggests that sport is the primary focus of my day to day activity.

So I love to run, hope to get better at it and if people want to call me an athlete, part of me would be pleased, but am I one? I don't think so.

The term 'athlete' is just too broad to define. Is it skill related, like hitting a baseball? Is it aerobically related, like running the 100 meters? It's on a case to case, sport to sport basis for each individual. Hell, golfers call themselves athletes! LOL I played a sport at a professional level and still make my living within that sport. Does that make me MORE of an athlete than someone else? I would say no...just better than most at that one sport.

It feels like "athlete" is almost a badge of honor bestowed upon you by another, rather than how you describe yourself, kind of like the term "hero." Someone else can call you a hero all they want but to introduce yourself as such would be a bit too proud.

One exception would be when describing roles in a sporting event. "Are you one of the coaches, a spectator, or one of the athletes?" "I'm one of the athletes."

No. I am not an athlete. Here are my completely arbitrary criteria for being considered an athlete. I will limit this to runners because running is what I know. You are an athlete if you fall into one of the following categories:

1. The ability to run a particular distance at 85% or better of the world standard for your age group. In a 5K for example, that would equate to a 17:05 for a 50 year old male (my AG) or a 15:15 for an open male. The equivalent marathon times would be 2:43:25 for the 50 year old male or 2:18:55 for an open male.

2. Receiving some tangible benefit from running. Thus, folks receiving a college scholarship or decent local runners who get free gear or comped entries are athletes.

Note that this would exclude someone running in high school who is good enough to make the team but not good enough to be at 85% or good enough to earn a scholarship. It excludes folks like me who are decent recreational runners but who don't come remotely close to being competitive even in their age group in large races. My categories are completely arbitrary and based on nothing but my opinion but those are the folks I consider athletes.

Coming back to this, now I'm amused that you, the non-athlete by your definition, can soundly trounce many runners like me who consider themselves athletes and whom I would also consider athletes.

Be that as it may, I want some method of distinguishing an athlete from those who have, as AKTrail puts it, an "active lifestyle." I don't see anything negative about not being an athlete. I like to sing and at one point in my life I played a trombone but I am not now nor was I ever near the level of what I would call a "musician." Others may see my arbitrary distinction between "athlete" and those with an "active lifestyle" as meaningless. I readily concede the validity of that argument.

Short Term Goal - 17:59 5K

Medium Term Goal - 2:54:59 marathon

Long Term Goal - To have been a runner half my life (I started at age 45)

a person who is trained or skilled in exercises, sports, or games requiring physical strength, agility, or stamina (Merriam-Webster)

a persontrainedorgiftedinexercisesorcontestsinvolvingphysicalagility,stamina,orstrength;aparticipantinasport,exercise,orgamerequiringphysicalskill (dictionary.com)

A person possessing the natural or acquired traits, such as strength, agility, and endurance, that are necessary for physical exercise or sports, especially those performed in competitive contexts (freedictionary.com)

A person who is proficient in sports and other forms of physical exercise (google)

I'm sticking with a yes for me even though I am not elite/professional/more than a "hobby jogger" (haha)

Using this as the standard, which is what I'd do (I don't agree with LTH's Draconian definition of athlete but I respect his opinion), I am. I was an NCAA D-1 scholarship softball player and still one of the better players around locally in rec leagues, even many years after my college career ended. As far as running, my times aren't world class but they're enough to have won me several overall female wins, more age group awards than I can remember, and top 30 finishes in a few races of over 1,000 people. Additionally, I train to compete, and I compete often. So, yes.

It sounds like a lot of people here are basing their belief in themselves as an athlete on other peoples perceptions. I'm an athlete, I always have been. I run and train for me.

A true artist doesn't consider believe that they are an artist only if another person is willing to pay for their work. True art comes from the heart and soul. You either are one or you aren't. Being an athlete is the same thing.

It sounds like a lot of people here are basing their belief in themselves as an athlete on other peoples perceptions. I'm an athlete, I always have been. I run and train for me.

A true artist doesn't consider believe that they are an artist only if another person is willing to pay for their work. True art comes from the heart and soul. You either are one or you aren't. Being an athlete is the same thing.

It sounds like a lot of people here are basing their belief in themselves as an athlete on other peoples perceptions. I'm an athlete, I always have been. I run and train for me.

A true artist doesn't consider believe that they are an artist only if another person is willing to pay for their work. True art comes from the heart and soul. You either are one or you aren't. Being an athlete is the same thing.

At least that's my take on it.

This. An artist is still an artist in my eyes even if no one buys their work. I know plenty of people who play part time in bands. While they aren't known on a world stage, I would still consider them musicians. I agree with the definition of an athlete as one who trains for competition. When I ran track and xc in high school we were considered athletes, and we were nowhere near elite, so what is the difference now?

This. An artist is still an artist in my eyes even if no one buys their work. I know plenty of people who play part time in bands. While they aren't known on a world stage, I would still consider them musicians. I agree with the definition of an athlete as one who trains for competition. When I ran track and xc in high school we were considered athletes, and we were nowhere near elite, so what is the difference now?

So an artist is an artist even if no one buys their work; hacks playing in a bar bands are musicians, but an athlete is someone, specifically, who trains for competition?

I asked earlier when someone said the same thing (with bold emphasis on competition) and no one responded, but I don't train for competition, so what does that make me? Last week I ran 67 miles, including 12 x 100m 8% hill repeats/sprints and 12 x 200m intervals. I also lifted weights 4 days.

So I need to regularly race a 5k or something to leave the ranks of 'recreational running enthusiast' and join the ranks of athlete, many of whom who train significantly less than I do and are less fit and agile? Heh.

This. An artist is still an artist in my eyes even if no one buys their work. I know plenty of people who play part time in bands. While they aren't known on a world stage, I would still consider them musicians. I agree with the definition of an athlete as one who trains for competition. When I ran track and xc in high school we were considered athletes, and we were nowhere near elite, so what is the difference now?

So an artist is an artist even if no one buys their work; hacks playing in a bar bands are musicians, but an athlete is someone, specifically, who trains for competition?

I asked earlier when someone said the same thing (with bold emphasis on competition) and no one responded, but I don't train for competition, so what does that make me? Last week I ran 67 miles, including 12 x 100m 8% hill repeats/sprints and 12 x 200m intervals. I also lifted weights 4 days.

So I need to regularly race a 5k or something to leave the ranks of 'recreational running enthusiast' and join the ranks of athlete, many of whom who train significantly less than I do and are less fit and agile? Heh.

You are training for competition. It's not our fault you never enter one.

I'm a draftsman/technical illustrator at work, I sometimes draw or paint for fun, and I carve decorative duck decoys yet I don't consider myself an artist, but some people in my family do.

I play several instruments, have written songs, and have been in several bands that were very popular in the area yet don't call myself a musician, but most of my friends do.

I've trained and competed in several sports over the years, and when I'm training and competing I do consider myself an athelete no matter what others believe, because as others have stated it's a mind set.

There's a reason that we often put qualifiers ahead of the word athlete when we use it. Professional, Olympic, World Class, Elite, Amature, etc. It's because there are degrees of athletesism.

Take a typical HM, there will be elite runners trying to win, top age groupers, recreational runners going for a personal record, and others who are just looking to finish. 99% of them have all circled a date on the calander and put some degree of effort into accomplishing their given goal that day.

How does this differ from being labeled an artist, or musician? Because athleticism is a measure of performance. It's not as subjective as art, or music. Sport is a measureable, tangible thing where you can train and see how you measure up to your fellow competitors, and if you didn't like what place you came in you can train harder to improve. Whereas with musicianship, and artistry there is no objective criteria to measure one performance or piece of work against another without taste, style, or opinion being involved.

This of course doesn't take into consideration judged sports like gymnastics which, as someone who has competed in Taekwondo forms competitions, I have a love/hate relationship with.